Batman-begins, knights and rises!

“It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me!”

The Christopher Nolan created Batman trilogy concluded leaving behind a miracle, a mark for its billion fans and a benchmark for all superhero flicks coming in future!

The magic started with Batman Begins!

This movie shows how Bruce Wayne became Batman! The movie takes you through Bruce Wayne’s initial fear of bats, the death of his parents, his struggle to conquer his fear and overcome his guilt, his efforts to save his city and lastly, his fight with Ra’s al Ghul, the very individual who taught him in his struggle. The movie beautifully portrays Bruce’s realization of the difference between Revenge and Justice and how he chooses Compassion over Punishment. The movie also highlights the unique relationship between Bruce and his family butler Alfred.

A wounded Bruce looks up to Alfred.

Alfred: Why do we fall, sir? So that we can learn, to pick ourselves up.

 Bruce: You still haven’t given up on me…

Alfred: (without a blink) Never!

Next came The Dark Knight!

  

This movie depicts the most important combat of Batman! The name is Joker. “Why so Serious, son?”  In no other movie have I felt the villain to be more convincing and more mesmerizing than the hero, but this movie did it! His every antic is brain-pounding! The scenes between Joker and Batman are winners! Another vital character in the movie is Harvey Dent, the confidante of Bruce’s love Rachel and the white knight of the city. The scene wherein Batman kills Harvey, who, on Joker’s direction, was wrongly avenging Rachel’s death, and still lets the city perceive Harvey as the hero and claims full responsibility of Harvey’s death causes pain!

Gordon Jr.: Why is he running dad?

Gordon: Because we have to chase him.

Gordon Jr.: He didn’t do anything wrong.

Gordon: Because he’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs now. So, we’ll hunt him. Because he’s not our hero. He’s a silent guardian, a watchful protector….. A dark knight!

It concluded with The Dark Knight Rises!

This movie focused on one simple ideology-Everyone can become Batman! So this movie had a Catwoman, a Robin, Commissioner Gordon, Lucius Fox, everyone fight till the end. The highlight of the movie is when Bruce is held in prison and the only way out is to rise with your sheer will and Bruce attains it! Bane looks and sounds hideous. The scene that causes an ache is when Miranda Tate betrays Bruce and when Batman is thought to be dead and Alfred sobs over his grave. However it brings delight to witness Bruce alive with Selina, as Alfred had wanted it! This movie totally and effectively puts the drapes shut of this magnificent trilogy!

“You see only one end to your journey. Sometimes a man rises from the Darkness!”

The things that make this trilogy special are

1)  Christopher Nolan. His writing, his story, his direction… Flawless! His extra-ordinary work speaks for itself. How he conceived the story, molded it in screenplay and delivered it in every scene is worth a Hats’ off! There are many other names contributing in this too like his brother Jonathan Nolan.

2)  Cast. Right from the enigmatic Christian Bale to lead the series to Michael Caine playing Alfred to Gary Oldman playing Gordon to Morgan Freeman as Fox, and to every little role, every individual portrays the character convincingly, to the “T”.

3)   Heath Ledger. Oh yeah, he was a part of only one movie, but his enactment of Joker made Dark Knight, the movie of the century! The way he talked, walked, behaved and played Joker, made this series reach the very epitome of ratings. His portrayal was magic! However, Joker took toll on Heath and he was found dead in an unprecedented circumstance. But Heath, you did put a smile in everyone's face!

4)  Cinematography. If you have seen the final one, the opening sequence involving helicopters, you know exactly what I am saying! Wally Pfister, Good Job!

5)  Background Score. The one thing that stayed with me even after I left the theatre was the sound-track! Hans Zimmer deserves all the accolades for it!

6) Dialogues. Flawless and awesome. There are so many neatly written ones that it would eat up my entire blog space!

As the trilogy ends all I can say is

“If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can’t stop you, you become something else entirely. A legend, Mr. Wayne, a Legend!”

This trilogy turned out to be the same!

Don't know me!!

Yes, you notice, you do see,

my little tears, my joyous glee,

the things that can break me free,

Yet, I know, you don't know me!

Yes, you notice, you do see,

the times when we're We,

the thoughts in the plethora of my seas,

Yet, I know, you don't know me!

Yes, you notice, you do see,

my sore arms, my bruised knee,

the address of my places of lees,

Yet, I know, you don't know me!

Yes, you notice, you do see,

where I barge in, where I flee,

the things suppressed within lock, no key,

Yet, I know, you don't know me!

That's because, you notice and see,

what I have chosen to show, to be,

even if I blab in times of spree,

You don't know anything......

Because I don't know me!

That's because, you notice and see,

what I forward, what I plea,

even in my days, post and pre,

You don't know anything......

Because I don't know me!

I am fine.....

Morning, I had nothing to write,

nothing to pen, nothing to shed light!

In hours, I reached a place somewhere,

I look around, blankly, I stare!

What caused this, in a matter of time,

that words of any fail to chime?

What changed in the duration, last,

that nothing is sinking, nothing has cast?

My thoughts sway, circulating my mind,

Lost in all these, myself, I sweat to find!

Life seems stuck, unmoving and cold,

like it is waiting for something to be told!

Life feels dull, insipid and bland,

like it is hoping for something to stand!

Amidst this, I stare at reflection, mine,

In all the darkness, I just mouth,"I am fine!"

Advertisements!!!

              Advertisement, as Wikipedia says, is a way used to encourage or persuade an audience to continue or take a certain new action. It is basically used to promote or create awareness of a particular product. Every company invests a chunk of money to “advertise” its products!

                It is quoted: “Selling a product without Advertisement is like winking at a hot girl in pitch darkness. You know you did your job, but she didn’t notice!”

                Advertising is done using various media like papers, magazines, in a pictorial way. But the most eye-catching and the most common means is television, in an interactive audio-visual way. 

                Anyone who watches a lot of television is subjected to a lot of advertisements. A half an hour of serial slot is actually twenty minute serial and ten minute advertisement. Even in case of movies, a three hour movie is stretched to four or, in certain cases, to four and a half hours, with inclusion of advertisements.

It is because of these advertisements that we get to see; a ‘300 crore-worth’ superstar enticing us for a 1 rupee ‘oil champi’, a legend making his comeback for ceiling ‘fans’, a dancing diva judging an ‘expert’ of dish wash detergents and many such bizarre ones.

No doubt, advertisements are necessary. But how many are effectively noticed?

The main aim is that the advertisement has to catch attention. So, the funda that perhaps works is that either make a superlatively brilliant concept with perfect execution OR come up with an absolutely absurd idea with perfect execution. In both cases, the audience notices, buzz is created and product is promoted. Seriously, think about it! The only ads that we actually recollect are the brilliantly created ones or the absolutely ridiculous ones! Mediocre ones go totally unnoticed.

An illustration of a brilliant ad is “Imperial Blue”. Though they advertise something not completely in sync with the product, I find the ad highly amusing. The tagline-“Men will be men” bundled up with the superb cast, make the ads fun to watch! Another example is “Hutch” whose pug caught a plethora of attentions. Even after Hutch became “Vodafone”, the streak reached a new high. Zoozoos became a rage! The “Umeedon wali dhoop, sunshine wali aasha” coke ad is also excellent! So is the “Har ek friend zaruri hota hain” Airtel ad!

A case of a ridiculous ad is one from “Orbit chewing gums”.  Continuous consumption of these can make your teeth supply light at an intensity of a tube light. Yes, it was absurd, but you remember it, don’t you? Another example is “Bingo Mad Angles” chips where no one could decide the perfect angle wherein the chips tasted better than the other perspective angles. So it was left to “Har angle se Ummm…”! The other representations of this category are “Axe deodorants”, “Fair and Handsome cream” and “Wild stone talc for men-Aapko mardaangi ka vaasta”! ROFL!

Advertising is used to dig into your competitors and continuously prove your quality to the audience. So if a “Bournvita” has vitamin-D to absorb calcium, then a “Boost” has additional 14 nutrients with vitamin-D! If a “Complan” claims to increase your height at twice the rate, then a “Horlicks” states that it can make you taller, stronger and sharper! And this mockery extends to every line of product- detergents, electrical appliances, soaps, shampoos etc! If A gives spotless whiteness, then B gives whiteness with fragrance. If M provides excellent service, then N provides service and also reduces electricity bills! If X eliminates 6 signs of ageing, Y removes 7, and then Z gets rid of 9! Who actually goes to check the names of these “signs”? They invent a similar one, give it an appalling name and make it appear serious! Job done!

Advertisements become a huge hit when a celebrity is involved! One gets mutually associated to the other’s identity! Such ads usually cash into the celebrity’s stardom and fan-following! There are many examples. Pepsi made cricketers like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Harbhajan Singh battle with footballers like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Fernando Torres for a bottle of Pepsi! Footballer Thierry Henry, Tennis-great Roger Federer, Cricketer Rahul Dravid and Golf-champion Tiger Woods reveal the secret success formula that connects all of them-Gillette blades and shaving cream!

Now, such is the promotional world of advertising. Now if attention converts to purchases and what succeeds and what fails is totally secondary and under market statistics! I and you cannot comment or generalize! A huge set of conditions apply.

A friend of mine, who happens to be working in an advertising company, once, told me: “Advertising is one simple thing. The two-minute thing you see on TV and comment, it takes months to create and months to debate and months to conceive and months to broadcast.” So, seriously, let us laud the efforts of all such people! Because a majority of their work have proven to work! So, enjoy these while waiting in anticipation for your favourite serial and movie!